Daniel Nigro rode in on on a Ladder 21 fire truck – his first assignment with the FDNY – to be officially sworn in as the 33rd FDNY commissioner.

Before the 32-year veteran took the stage at FDNY Headquarters at 9 Metrotech Center in DoBro on Monday to accept his new role, Mayor Bill De Blasio reflected over his years on the front lines, as well as his father who also served in the FDNY following his service in WWII.

“Dan Nigro to me is exactly the kind of leader the FDNY needs today,” de Blasio said at the ceremony. “He's the kind of person we need more of in public service.”

It has been 12 years since Nigro last served as Chief of Operations of the department. He was one of the firefighter who responded on September 11, 2001.

“Dan did everything that could be done under the circumstance while having to deal with all the pain of the loss of that moment,” de Blasio said, recalling the death of Nigro's chief, Pete Ganci. “A true act of courage is to stand strong no matter what you're going through, no matter what you're feeling, no matter what you've experienced – to keep leading – and that's what Dan did.”

Nigro was joined by his wife Lynn as the mayor gave the ceremonial oath, after which the new commissioner spoke to what he called his “family.”

“Each generation has inherited a great department for the next generation,” Nigro said.

Nigro added that while tradition has played a big part in the legacy of the FDNY, he plans to carry out the traditions while focusing on growth in the years ahead.

“The department of today is by far the best of what we’ve have ever had and by far is working to make it better for the next generation,” Nigro said, promising to foster a diverse and strong department. “We will ensure that everyone gets a fair chance to be one of us, a firefighter, EMT or paramedic.”